{"id":5860,"date":"2025-11-19T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/?p=5860"},"modified":"2025-11-19T07:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T07:00:00","slug":"behind-the-firewall-the-hidden-struggles-of-cyber-professionals-with-a-disability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/?p=5860","title":{"rendered":"Behind the firewall: The hidden struggles of cyber professionals with a disability"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Problem-solving is what cyber professionals do best, but one problem the industry has yet to solve is inclusion. Despite progress in diversity<\/a>, research shows many professionals with disabilities or neurodivergent<\/a> still face bias and challenges in the workplace.<\/p>\n

The UK\u2019s Decrypting Diversity 2021 report<\/a>, a joint study by the National Cyber Security Centre and KPMG UK, found that 37% of neurodivergent respondents and 36% of respondents with a disability reported barriers of career progression. At the same time, around a third of neurodivergent cyber professionals and those with a disability say they didn\u2019t feel they could be themselves in the workplace.<\/p>\n

Across the broader tech sector, Deloitte\u2019s Disability Inclusion @ Work 2024 survey<\/a> indicated that workplace accessibility remains a significant challenge. Of 10,000 respondents across 20 countries living with disabilities, chronic conditions or neurodivergence, 88% had disclosed their condition to someone at work, yet three-quarters of those who asked for accommodations had at least one request rejected.<\/p>\n

But for three cybersecurity professionals, those barriers have not only shaped their careers but also strengthened their sense of purpose. Each has faced their own unique challenges, yet they all found strength in empathy, understanding, and the determination to help define what inclusivity looks like.<\/p>\n

Redefine what disability means<\/h2>\n
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Daisy Wong<\/p>\n

Daisy Wong<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When Daisy Wong, head of security awareness at Medibank, first entered cybersecurity, she didn\u2019t expect to become an advocate for inclusion, she just wanted to prove that being in a wheelchair was no barrier to what she could achieve. \u201cI never wanted to be in cybersecurity. I did marketing at uni,\u201d she says. \u201cI always say this all the time, and that is I should\u2019ve been at L\u2019Or\u00e9al selling lipstick. Look at me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her confidence, though, didn\u2019t come easy. \u201cMy physical disability impacted my confidence and my belief that I could do anything \u2026 but I\u2019ve been very lucky that I\u2019ve been self-motivated and only knew one thing, and that was, I wanted to be useful to society, and I wanted to do something with myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wong\u2019s early career was shaped by determination and unfairness in equal measure. After working as a project coordinator at IBM and later in penetration testing for a bank, she endured two redundancies by age 30, one of which she described as particularly painful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was actually told that my role was a \u2018nice to have\u2019,\u201d she says. \u201cAs a person with a physical disability, I don\u2019t expect special treatment. A little bit of understanding, a bit of flexibility isn\u2019t going to kill you. What I mean is giving me an extra five or 10 minutes to get some place.\u201d<\/p>\n

When her role was made redundant, she was given a month to find another position within the organization, while a male colleague, a friend of the manager, was given three. \u201cI said to them, I never want to use my disability as an excuse or reason, but is there any way you can give me more lenience?\u201d<\/p>\n

The bias, however, was obvious during job interviews, too. She recalls how one time a hiring manager was more concerned about her physical ability than her relevant experience for the role. \u201cThe manager was more concerned about whether I could make a cup of tea and get back to my desk, than if I could my job. This hiring manager barely asked a single question about my experience. It was all about physical ability to get around.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, these experiences only strengthened her resolve. \u201cI realized I needed a personal brand \u2026 I realized that I needed more than experience for people to take me seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

That brand, built through mentorship, advocacy, and relentless professionalism, eventually led to leadership roles in government and to her current her role at Medibank. Today, Wong leads cybersecurity culture initiatives and champions greater awareness of accessibility. Her message to both leaders and peers is simple: \u201cIt\u2019s important organizations ask and not make assumptions. But asking goes both ways. The person with a disability, whether it\u2019s physical or hidden, also needs to learn to ask for what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also quick to point out that accessibility benefits everyone. \u201cAccessibility isn\u2019t just about wheelchairs. What if you have a pram? What if you break your leg? It\u2019s about being mindful and considerate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her advice to cybersecurity leaders echoes a broader truth about what\u2019s needed in any workplace culture. \u201cBe mindful and considerate. Yes, if you have a cyber incident it could impact people\u2019s livelihood directly, but can we tone it back a little bit?\u201d she says. \u201cOn a daily basis, that email you wanted 20 minutes ago, and I sent it at the 27 minutes mark, no one will die. Why can we not give everyone a little bit of grace? I think that\u2019s what we\u2019re lacking. It\u2019s just about normalizing prams, normalizing mothers who have to breastfeed, normalizing Daisy is in a wheelchair, and not singling me or anyone out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find empathy in a competitive field<\/h2>\n

Wong\u2019s call for flexibility and empathy resonates with Jacob Griffiths, most recently a cyber risk solutions analyst at Procare Cyber, who\u2019s experienced firsthand how relentless the pressure of the industry can be.<\/p>\n

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Jacob Griffiths<\/p>\n

Jacob Griffiths<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

On his 23rd birthday, Griffiths was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a condition that requires constant attention. He says it was particularly difficult during the \u201cfinger-prick days\u201d when the glucose meter readings only provided a snapshot of his blood sugar at a single point in time. \u201cDiabetes can affect every cell in your body \u2026 so unless you\u2019re controlling it, and on top of it, it makes it really hard because you\u2019re either running high, which will make you really lethargic and slow, or if you have too much insulin, then you go in the reverse way, and you don\u2019t have enough sugar in your blood to have your brain functioning correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a field defined by long hours and high stakes, Griffiths says taking time to manage his health often felt like a professional risk. \u201cI don\u2019t like to make a fuss. It\u2019s a competitive industry, so you don\u2019t want to stick your head up to get blocked off because you\u2019re making requests.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back, Griffiths admits he sometimes pushed himself too far. \u201cI probably should\u2019ve made a fuss at times because it\u2019s difficult to manage, and there are times when I\u2019ve been under pressure trying to get stuff done, and my body\u2019s just falling apart. At those times, I probably should have spoken up about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He credits having empathetic managers for making that easier. Even so, not every workplace culture gets it right. \u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s a capitalist society; you have to produce the output regardless,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s only so much empathy you can get in a society that is capitalist and get to a point where you\u2019re not meeting their expectations, and therefore they have to let you go.\u201d<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing he wants others who face similar challenges to take away, is the value of openness and community. \u201cLet people know,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve been very fortunate that the people who have managed me were pretty empathetic and open.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also hopes to see more connection among cyber professionals who suffer disabilities, something he believes could empower others to speak up and be supported because it is a demanding industry \u201cand there is that constant pressure\u201d.<\/p>\n

Turn different into a superpower<\/h2>\n

Meanwhile, for Angelina Liu, commercial sales manager at SentinelOne, when she moved from Singapore to Australia at 17, she didn\u2019t expect to find herself in cybersecurity, or to later discover how her ADHD would become one of her greatest strengths. Growing up, ADHD wasn\u2019t something people discussed openly.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty-five years ago, there wasn\u2019t a lot of knowledge about being on a spectrum, especially in Asia. The culture is just, \u2018Oh, there\u2019s something wrong with you\u2019,\u201d she says. \u201cSo, my parents decided very early on that I should go to Australia thinking people are more accommodating. When I came here, I loved it, because it was true.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Angelina Liu<\/p>\n

Angelina Liu<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After studying biochemistry, Liu realized life in a lab wasn\u2019t for her. She worked odd jobs, from selling barbecue rotisseries in regional Australia to driving a forklift, before finding her way into marketing, coding, and eventually cybersecurity sales. Her neurodivergence, however, made the transition to corporate life challenging. \u201cWhen I entered corporate, it was hard because I would be very interested in things and excel at them, and if I wasn\u2019t, it was very forceful for me,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I\u2019ve realized I could turn that struggle into kind of a superpower.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liu\u2019s ADHD has now become one of her greatest assets in cybersecurity, where quick thinking and pattern recognition are critical. \u201cEven though I\u2019m in sales, I still deal with situations where everything\u2019s hitting the fan. What you need is to think fast, see patterns that others miss, and switch context quickly. ADHD is exactly like that,\u201d she says. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t follow that straight line. [My thoughts] jump in between patterns, scenarios, risk, and it\u2019s really helped me spot things that other people might not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, her journey hasn\u2019t been without bias. At one workplace, a manager created a toxic environment that targeted both her neurodiversity and sexuality. It reached a point where for three and a half years she didn\u2019t feel comfortable being in her own skin. \u201cHe always said, \u2018You need to be careful of how you are with people because you are gay\u2019. Immediately I just lost interest. I can\u2019t work for someone that\u2019s not focused on culture,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Drawing her own experience, Liu\u2019s tips for other CISOs that want to better support other neurodivergent team members is to create psychologically safe and flexible workplaces. \u201cHave an open conversation. Make sure you show interest in making someone go above their potential,\u201d she says. \u201cEveryone is capable enough to do the job. Your job as a leader is to make someone\u2019s non-superpower become a superpower, embrace it, hit that ceiling, and then go above and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Structural support is also important, she advises. \u201cYou need to set clear expectations and outcomes. You need to tell someone with ADHD \u2018this is what I want exactly\u2019, and they will give it to you. There are tools you can use as well, like visual boards, because people with ADHD don\u2019t like words, they like images.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liu sees fostering these supportive workplaces as more than a box-ticking exercise for her, but an opportunity to pay it forward. She now mentors cybersecurity interns, many of whom are women. \u201cI use the stories that I heard to remind other people how it feels normal to feel different.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Problem-solving is what cyber professionals do best, but one problem the industry has yet to solve is inclusion. Despite progress in diversity, research shows many professionals with disabilities or neurodivergent still face bias and challenges in the workplace. The UK\u2019s Decrypting Diversity 2021 report, a joint study by the National Cyber Security Centre and KPMG […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5860"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5860\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}